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        <p>Chapter 5. <B>Cecilia tries to get revenge</B></p>
        
        <p>&quot;How's the rabbit trap going?&quot; Abagail asked Albert.</p>
        
        <p>&quot;Practically done&quot;, their handyman told her, &quot;I thought originally I'd make a snare, but you need wire and things for that. It's too compromising. So in the end I made a box trap.&quot;</p>
        
        <p>&quot;Let's see&quot;, Albert and Adam and Abagail went to the woodwork room. It was unlocked on a Sunday, though no-one was there. There was an array of saws and hammers and drills on the wall, and some big items of equipment that Abagail didn't recognise.<BR>
        &quot;Lathes&quot; said Albert, &quot;unfortunately you need a key to use them&quot;.<BR>
        The trap was a simple box sitting on a workbench. Adam looked at it dubiously.<BR>
        &quot;Is that it?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;That's it. I already had the box. I've added a seesaw. The rabbit enters, and the seesaw goes down. He then steps off the seesaw, and it folds up into place again. Dead simple, just a hinge, no springs or anything. He can't get out because once the seesaw has tipped back he's behind it.&quot; Albert explained.<BR>
        &quot;Have you tested it?&quot; Adam asked.<BR>
        &quot;How can I?&quot; Albert told him, &quot;but I know roughly how big a rabbit is. That seesaw should swing. All we need is some bait.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Carrots.&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Not soggy cooked carrots like we get for dinner&quot; said Abagail, &quot;decent, raw carrot, straight from the kitchen.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;How are we going to get that?&quot; asked Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Dunno&quot; said Albert.</p>
        
        <p>In the event it was James who volunteered to take the risk of sneaking into the kitchen. It led straight from the refectory. All it took was the courage to open the door with some pretext handy in case it was occupied. James put a fork in his pocket at dinner, and then planned to say he would return it. In the event, the kitchen was empty. In the pantry, James quickly located the store of raw vegetables. He munched one of the carrots himself, so much nicer than when cooked. Heart beating, he then dived into the utensils drawer. There were spoons and rollers and mashers, but not what he was looking for.<BR>
        &quot;Must have been blind&quot; he said to himself.<BR>
        There was a magnetic strip above the worksurface, upon which there were several knives.  James selected a sharp one. He was aware that this might be misinterpreted. He put it in the inside pocket of his blazer, put the carrots in the outside pockets, and walked away. He returned with his trophies in triumph to Adam and Albert.<BR>
        They took the trap outside and hid it in the ruins, choosing a place closely overrun with bushes and scrub where no-one would ever go. They further disguised the trap with branches. They then put the bait at the top of the seesaw bridge. It was relatively quick to set up.<BR>
        &quot;A rabbit trap&quot; said Adam, proudly.<BR>
        &quot;Just hope it works,&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;How do we cook the rabbit?&quot; asked Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Worry about that when we catch one&quot;, said Albert, &quot;we've got to check it every day. It's just like a warren for the rabbit, they'll keep calm inside it. However leave them for more than a day and they might die of thirst.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;That would be horrible&quot; said Adam.</p>
        
        <p>It seemed safest to check the trap after dark, straight after prep. So they arranged to take it in turns, Adam, Albert, and James, to go with a torch.<BR>
        &quot;You realise this bit of the ruins is a graveyard?&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        &quot;I can't see any headstones&quot; said Adam, &quot;how can you tell?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I don't think they had headstones in the olden days,&quot; said Albert, &quot;you can tell from these holes cut into the rocks, to hold a person.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Those are too small to hold a fullgrown man&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Maybe they were for children, then. They're definitely old graves.&quot; said Albert.<BR>
        Looking at the ground, it seemed to be true. Adam cleared a bit of brush away.<BR>
        &quot;Here's an inscription&quot; he said, &quot;I think it's in Latin. Let's make it out.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Hic jacet sepultus Gregorius abbas, can't read the rest. What does jacet mean?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Dunno, look it up.&quot; Albert suggested.<BR>
        &quot;Hic&quot;, he obviously died of drink&quot; said James.<BR>
        &quot;Anyway,&quot; said Adam, &quot;I don't think the rabbits will care.&quot;</p>
        
        <p>Brother Dominic taught Latin.</p>
        
        <p>&quot;Sir, what does 'jacket' mean in Latin?&quot; asked Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Jacket?&quot; said brother Dominic, &quot;Latin has no 'j'&quot;. <BR>
        &quot;Well I saw it,&quot; said Adam, and all of a sudden James fell to fits of coughing.<BR>
        &quot;My goodness, James&quot; said brother Dominic, not in the least deceived, &quot;what is this sudden turn of ailment.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Sir, it's the food&quot;, said James, &quot;something I ate at lunchtime. Can I go out and get a glass of water, Sir?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Well surely not. I can't see food provoking such a reaction. Maybe you can wait a few minutes and see if this strange affliction subsides.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Oh Sir, the food is bad&quot; said James. &quot;That's quite enough James&quot; said brother Dominic firmly, &quot;but back to your question, Adam, do you mean 'iacet', with the 'I' pronounced as a 'Y', hence 'Yacet'. That's Latin for 'he lies'. Anyone know what the first person would be?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Iaco&quot;, said Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;Iaceo, actually&quot;, corrected brother Dominic.<BR>
        &quot;OK, back to the first declension. 'The queen of the island loves sailors'. Who can translate that into Latin for me?&quot;<BR>
        Mandy's had was back up. &quot;Any other volunteers?&quot; asked brother Dominic, &quot;no, OK, I'll pick on someone.&quot;<BR>
        He pointed to blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Pass&quot; said blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Come on Mary, you can do better than that. What is the word for 'queen'?&quot; insisted brother Dominic.<BR>
        &quot;Regina&quot; said blonde Mary, reluctantly.<BR>
        &quot;And what case is it in?&quot; insisted brother Dominic. Drawing a blank, he pleaded, &quot;anybody&quot;.<BR>
        &quot;Nominative&quot; said Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;Very good, and 'of the island'. What does 'of' imply for case, Mary&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Genitive&quot;.<BR>
        &quot;So what is the queen of the island?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Regina insulae.&quot; &quot;There you see, you do know it. Now translate the whole sentence for me please.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Regina insulae amat nautas&quot;, replied blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Can anyone improve on that?&quot; asked brother Dominic.<BR>
        &quot;Regina insulae nautas amat&quot;, it was Mandy again.<BR>
        &quot;Very good, it is more idiomatic to have the verb, amat, towards the end of the sentence.&quot; brother Dominic said, &quot;Don't try to replace each English word by an equivalent one in Latin, get into the Latin way of thinking about things. James, what are you doing?&quot;</p>
        
        <p>James was creating a spitball, which he intended to throw at Mandy. However with only ten in the class, brother Dominic was not so easily distracted. James fully expected to get lines or even a detention, when he was saved by the bell for None.  Abagail tripped up Mandy on the way to the chapel.<BR>
        &quot;She humiliated me&quot; said blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Dirty little thing, and a toady to boot&quot; said short Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Don't worry&quot;, said Abagail, &quot;we'll make her life hell.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;She'll wish she never left that care home of hers&quot;, said short Mary.<BR>
        &quot;'Sir, I've been to the graveyard', show a bit of sense, Adam&quot; said James, &quot;what does it matter what some silly inscription says?&quot;<BR>
        Everyone made sure that they were not standing in the stall next to Mandy at None, so it became increasingly obvious to all that none of the girls were talking to her. The boys agreed to join in. Adam, particularly, was shocked when Cecilia revealed a violent purple bruise all the way down her leg. However they found themselves responding to Mandy's provocations, and jeering at her instead of coldly ignoring her. Boys simply aren't as good as girls at that sort of thing.</p>
        
        <p> James got back into Latin class first after None, and swiped Mandy's Latin book, which had been left on the desk - they were meant to drop everything the moment the bell rang - and hid it in the wastepaper basket.<BR>
        &quot;Mandy what is up?&quot; asked brother Dominic.<BR>
        &quot;My Latin textbook, it's gone Sir.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Now has anyone seen Mandy's textbook?&quot; asked brother Dominic.<BR>
        The class was silent.<BR>
        &quot;Mandy, where did you put it&quot; asked brother Dominic.<BR>
        &quot;I don't know, Sir, must have lost it Sir&quot; said Mandy.<BR>
        She knew that, bad though the situation may be, she would only make it worse for herself by blaming the others.<BR>
        &quot;Now I am getting increasingly irritated by this class&quot;, said brother Dominic, &quot;someone must have taken Mandy's textbook and know where it is. Will that person please own up, before we have any more disruption.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I can see it in the wastepaper basket, Sir&quot; said James, realising that he had pushed brother Dominic too far.<BR>
        &quot;So Mandy, how did your textbook come to be in the wastepaper basket?&quot; asked brother Dominic, menacingly.<BR>
        &quot;I don't know, Sir&quot;.<BR>
        &quot;Right, since no-one is owning up to this the class is in detention. Including you, Mandy. We don't have time for this. Now let's concentrate on some Latin.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> &quot;You're making yourself a most unpopular person, old girl&quot; said Sebastian, as they left the classroom. &quot;Why not admit you're in the wrong, sometime?&quot;<BR>
        It was impossible to check the trap at the normal time due to having to stay on after prep to do the detention. The detention was Latin, a passage about queens and islands and tables and sailors. At this stage, that was all they could translate. Adam found it difficult. Not in a single exercise had he ever obtained 100% marks on Latin prep, though it wasn't so disastrously bad as mathematics tended to be.<BR>
        &quot;I've no facility for languages' he thought, &quot;not good at games, not good at music, yet I'm supposed to be intelligent.&quot;<BR>
        It was Albert's turn to check the trap, which he did last thing after the detention, slipping way. There was no rabbit in it, and the bait was beginning to droop, the carrots losing tone. Adam checked the seesaw. It seemed to be OK, but maybe a little steep. He decided there and then to give it another week, and rebalance the trap on Saturday.</p>
        
        <p> Ibrahim was in trouble. He had been to primary school in Pakistan. To avoid prospective students having to travel to Britain, St Tom's had mailed the entrance examination papers to the school in Pakistan. Ibrahim's headmaster, Mr Khan, was not a dishonest man, but the culture is very different in Pakistan. Since the system was so easily cheated, he simply assumed that everyone would cheat, and that he had to do the same to give Ibrahim a fair chance. So he opened the examination papers a week before the examination, and gave Ibrahim two chances on what was effectively the same maths paper, with just some of the numbers changed around. He did the same for English, setting Ibrahim a practise paper that was very close to the one he was going to sit, then going through it correcting all the mistakes, so Ibrahim was extremely well-drilled for the examination.  When Ibrahim came to sit the paper he found it extremely easy, and didn't realise what Mr Khan had done. However three and a half weeks into St Toms, and he was struggling, a firm bottom in every subject except music, where Adam was the worst.  However whereas Adam reacted to low marks by crying publicly before the whole class, Ibrahim was more stoical. He decided that since he was obviously no good at his work, he wouldn't even try. He would just go through the motions to keep out of trouble and prevent himself being expelled.</p>
        
        <p> Brother Robin was in charge of English. When he saw the quality of Ibrahim's work, he was appalled. It was full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, which first he had put down to Ibrahim being from Pakistan. However his standard of oral English was fluent.<BR>
        &quot;This isn't the same boy who wrote the entrance paper&quot; he thought to himself, &quot;what could have happened? Maybe he is not happy here.&quot;<BR>
        Brother Robin's lessons were always rather loose. He was a young, sensitive monk, with a great love of music and the arts. He was capable of spending a whole lesson playing the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah, instead of doing any study.<BR>
        James and Ibrahim thought that they could take advantage. The set work was a poem by William Blake, called &quot;The Lamb&quot;.</p>
        
        <p>Little Lamb, who made thee?<BR>
        Dost thou know who made thee?<BR>
        Gave thee life, and bid thee feed,<BR>
        By the stream and o'er the mead;<BR>
        Gave thee clothing of delight,<BR>
        Softest clothing, woolly, bright;<BR>
        Gave thee such a tender voice,<BR>
        Making all the vales rejoice?<BR>
        Little Lamb, who made thee?<BR>
        Dost thou know who made thee?</p>
        
        <p>Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,<BR>
        Little Lamb, I'll tell thee.<BR>
        He is called by thy name,<BR>
        For He calls Himself a Lamb.<BR>
        He is meek, and He is mild;<BR>
        He became a little child.<BR>
        I a child, and thou a lamb,<BR>
        We are called by His name.<BR>
        Little Lamb, God bless thee!<BR>
        Little Lamb, God bless thee!</p>
        
        <p>Brother Robin made Abagail read the poem out loud. &quot;Poetry must be read aloud&quot; said brother Robin, &quot;and what do you notice as Abagail did so?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Alliteration, Sir&quot;, said Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;And anyone else?&quot; &quot;Baa-ing, Sir&quot;, said James.<BR>
        &quot;And where do you see baa-ing?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Little laaaamb, little laaamb&quot; James exaggerated.<BR>
        Everyone laughed. &quot;Read the whole poem like that&quot; said brother Robin.<BR>
        &quot;Little laaamb, who maaade thee, Dost thou know-o who maaade thee&quot; James began, and was drowned out by gales of laughter.<BR>
        &quot;James, for all his vulgarity, is right&quot; said brother Robin, &quot;the technical term in onomatopoeia. When the sound of the poem suggests the sound of the thing. Now who can scan poetry?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Stress, unstress&quot; said Cecilia, &quot;I've heard of that.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I just unstress&quot; said Ibrahim. Brother Robin ignored him.<BR>
        &quot;'Little lamb, who made thee?', how does that scan?&quot; he asked.<BR>
        &quot;unstress, unstress, stress on lamb, unstress, unstress, stress on thee&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;So for prep, everyone is to provide a scansion of 'The Lamb'&quot; said brother Robin, obviously making the assignment up on the spot.<BR>
        &quot;It's all the same,&quot; said Adam, &quot;unstress, unstress, stress, right the way through.&quot;</p>
        
        <p>Ibrahim was getting bored by this.<BR>
        &quot;Who cares about a damn lamb?&quot; he said, &quot;damn lamb, that rhymes, I'm a poet.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;So Ibrahim's theory is that poetry must rhyme&quot; said brother Robin, &quot;how much rhyme is there in this poem?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;It depends if you count the same words as rhyming,&quot; said Adam.<BR>
        &quot;Same words can rhyme&quot; said Cecilia.<BR>
        &quot;Can't&quot;, said Abagail, &quot;that's cheating.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Can&quot;, insisted Cecilia.<BR>
        &quot;Lamb and name, I don't call that much of a rhyme&quot; said Abagail, &quot;that's cheating as well.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;He thinks it's important because he uses that rhyme twice&quot; said Mandy.<BR>  Everyone ignored her.<BR>
        &quot;Would you call that cheating, Abagail?&quot; asked brother Robin, &quot;to use a rhyme twice.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Yes, I would&quot; said Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;Let's scratch the scansion prep for you and Cecilia&quot; said brother Robin, &quot;and write on 'what constitutes cheating in poetry'&quot;.<BR>
        Ibrahim felt totally left behind. He was incapable of scanning the poem, and he didn't feel like writing the essay on cheating either. Brother Robin got no prep from him that day, except a halfhearted printout of &quot;The Lamb&quot; with some scansion marks over it.</p>
        
        <p> &quot;Brother Robin is a real gent&quot; said Sebastian, &quot;you're just spoiling the lesson, Ibrahim.&quot;<BR>
        This surprised Ibrahim, as he thought he would be a real hero for injecting a bit of fun. However unlike James, he wasn't intelligent, and didn't get high marks on the occasions when he tried.<BR>
        &quot;You're just a fool, Ibrahim&quot; said James, &quot;You're parents are paying good money to send you to this school, and you don't put any effort in. Not at English, not at maths, not even at games.&quot;<BR>
        Ibrahim went to bed feeling very low, and wet it, as usual, that night. He was also desperately worried about his parents in Pakistan. There were rumours that the military were planning a coup.</p>
        
        <p> Adam checked the trap again that night. The bait had been pushed into the far corner of the trap, and had been nibbled. However of the rabbit there was no sign. He returned to the calefactory and called Albert over.<BR>
        &quot;The rabbit can get out simply by pushing on the seesaw. It isn't too heavy for it, after all.&quot; said Albert, &quot;I made a mistake with the design. What you need is a pin, so the seesaw stays in the tilted position. Then the rabbit is trapped with it tilted upwards.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;How long to get a pin?&quot; asked Adam.<BR>
        &quot;The problem is I've got to cut a piece of metal to size. Which means measuring it and getting a hacksaw. But I can do it next Saturday.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;So we leave the trap until then?&quot; asked Adam.<BR>
        &quot;I think we'd better take it up, and try again next week.&quot; agreed Albert.<BR>
        &quot;Still,&quot; said Adam, &quot;we got a real live rabbit in it.&quot;</p>
        
        <p>The girl's calefactory had become a terrible place for Mandy. Even the girls from the older years were joining in her shunning. She went to the dorm to find somewhere private to cry, and there was blonde Mary, brushing her hair as usual.<BR>
        &quot;Are you upset, Mandy sweetest?&quot; asked blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Obviously&quot; said Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;I will still talk to you,&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;but only in private. The other girls would shun me too, if they knew I was speaking with you.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Oh, thanks, Mary&quot; said Mandy, pathetically grateful to have someone to speak to at last.</p>
        
        <p> &quot;I know why you attacked Cecilia&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;she's a bitch, isn't she? Come, let me do your hair.&quot; blonde Mary moved over to Mandy, brushing her hair with her own hairbrush, &quot;You could look really nice, Mandy, if you just had someone to take care of you. Do you use moisturising cream?&quot;<BR>
        Mandy shook her head.<BR>
        &quot;It helps&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;I guess you've had a hard time.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;My Mum never bought me anything like that&quot; said Mandy, &quot;she's a drug addict. She used to spend all her money on drugs. So sometimes I'd go for days without any food, because all the money had been spent. Then she'd get a bit of money in from somewhere, and we'd have a takeaway. We never cooked.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;You know Mandy, I'll tell you a secret&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;my mother is also on drugs. I haven't told anyone else that. Let it be a secret between us. People envy me my life, but in reality it is hard. It's hard having to get up at one day's notice and go to Los Angeles for a film audition. Of course the hotel is luxurious, and we get one of the best suites, but it's still a hotel. Then there's the trips to see my father in Spain. I never know whether I am coming or going.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;So you like it here&quot; said Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;No,&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;I hate it. I hate not having my own things. Then I'm like you. There's no-one like me in first year. Everyone else leads such a restricted life. They watch television, whilst I meet the people who appear on it. It's a different attitude, those who are somebody versus those who only watch. But don't tell them this, Mandy dearest.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;At least your mother still sees you&quot; said Mandy, &quot;mine is in prison. I didn't even get a letter back when I wrote to her.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Does she know anybody on the outside?&quot; asked blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Well there's Chris&quot; said Mandy, &quot;but I hate him. He's her last boyfriend. They haven't fallen out yet.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;You mustn't hate people, Mandy dearest&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;after all, if I hated all of my mother's boyfriends, I have to hate practically all the men in the world. So much hate. Who is this Chris?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;A drugs dealer&quot; said Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;Did he beat you?&quot; asked blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;Oddly enough, no&quot; said Mandy, &quot;but that was probably because I was in care before he met my mother. She got limited contact with a view to me coming out, then I met him once or twice at her flat. He gave me a ten pound note the first time, quite the gentleman. Then social services got to hear about it, she went into prison, and that was that. He was charged but the jury acquitted him.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;In that case&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;this Chris sounds like a route to your mother. You've got to use people like that, don't throw away your advantages, Mandy.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I'm not sure I want any contact with him&quot; said Mandy.  &quot;Sending him to Coventry?&quot; asked blonde Mary, and both girls laughed. &quot;Look, Mandy,&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;you needn't worry, with me here to look after you. No-one is going to dare try any violence on me, or any other my friends. My father wouldn't stand for it, and money talks, believe me. Just keep me informed, and we'll get a letter from your mother.&quot;</p>
        
        <p> They heard a noise outside, and fell silent. Blonde Mary turned her back on Mandy. Short Mary came in, and parked herself on the single chair in the dorm.  &quot;There's a smell in this room&quot; she said.<BR>
        &quot;Perfume?&quot; offered blonde Mary.<BR>
        &quot;No, there's definitely a smell. I'm surprised it hasn't bothered you.&quot;<BR>  &quot;Oh yes&quot; said blonde Mary, &quot;shall we go back to the calefactory until it has gone away?&quot;</p>
        
        <p>Cecilia was still nursing a body sore all over from her beating at the hands of Mandy and triple punishment run. She turned to Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;Abbey&quot; she said, &quot;I really can't face netball.&quot;  &quot;Pull a sickie then&quot; said Abagail.<BR>
        &quot;My legs are still too tired after that punishment run. Somehow I don't think Father Abbot will have any sympathy.&quot; explained Cecilia.<BR>
        &quot;No, too right, he won't&quot; said Abagail, &quot;Cecilia, you can't be expected to do netball in your state. How about some poisonous crab?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Are you crazy?&quot; said Cecilia, &quot;you and Adam could have killed poor Rupert.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;He was a bully and he deserved it&quot; said Abagail, &quot;no, I know, you drink salt water. It'll make you really sick, then you miss games&quot;.<BR>
        &quot;I'd rather not be sick as well as aching all over&quot; said Cecilia, &quot;some other way, Abbey.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Oh, I know&quot; said Abagail, &quot;Mandy is going to attack you again.&quot;  &quot;How come?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I'll take you to the ruins before netball&quot; said Abagail, &quot;tie you up and mess your clothes about. Then put you somewhere comfortable. You say that Mandy has done it. Then you get to miss games, and Mandy gets into the trouble she deserves.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;How can I sneak on Mandy, especially when she hasn't actually done it?&quot; asked Cecilia.<BR>
        &quot;You're thinking like a boy again&quot;, said Abagail, &quot;you don't say 'Mandy did it'. So say someone came up behind you, and said, 'I'll get back at you'. You're not sure who the voice was, but it was a girl, and it all happened so fast. They'll soon twig it was Mandy.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;If you think so&quot; said Cecilia, unsure.<BR>
        &quot;It'll work, trust me&quot; said Abagail.</p>
        
        <p>The next day they finished a Latin lesson, and the next lesson was games. Abagail and Cecilia, giggling slightly, went out to the ruins to execute the plan. Mandy was still being ignored, and stayed back.<BR>
        &quot;Mandy&quot;, said brother Dominic, &quot;can I have a quick word?&quot;<BR>
        It had not escaped the boys' housemaster that Mandy was being shunned by the other girls, and he wanted to establish what was going on.<BR>
        &quot;You escaped any serious punishment for attacking Cecilia&quot; he said, &quot;so the girls are meting out their own punishment. You will have to live with this, Mandy. Life is not easy, life is hard. You know that.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;They hated me before&quot; said Mandy, &quot;this just brought it into the open.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Well perhaps if you apologised to Cecilia and asked her forgiveness&quot; suggested brother Dominic.<BR>
        &quot;Oh no&quot; said Mandy, &quot;I'm not apologising. She should apologise to me.&quot;<BR>
        Defeated, brother Dominic let her go.</p>
        
        <p>Abagail tore strips from Mandy's sheet in the dorm, then ran on to the ruins. Using the strips she tied up a compliant Cecilia, and then blindfolded her.<BR>
        &quot;Comfortable?&quot; she asked Cecilia. <BR>
        &quot;It's a bit cold&quot; Cecilia protested.<BR>
        &quot;Here, take my jacket as well and put it over you.&quot; Abagail said, &quot;now I've got to hurry to netball.&quot;<BR>
        Brother Gwilliam was irritated as three girls were late. Abagail came within the first five minutes, followed by Mandy a minute later. Of Cecilia there was no sign.<BR>
        &quot;Come on ladies&quot; he said, &quot;chop chop for netball, or I'll replace it with a cross country. Where is Cecilia?&quot;<BR>
        Eventually he started the lesson without her.   Mandy was in the goal-scoring position and placed shot after shot, mostly on target. They had to play five a side instead of the usual seven because of the lack of Cecilia, and blonde Mary got a chance to sit out.</p>
        
        <p> The boys meanwhile were playing football unsupervised, and completely oblivious to the drama that was about to unfold. Father Abbot came to check on them, and was satisfied to see how the game was progressing smoothly without any adult to referee. <BR>
        &quot;First years, you've got a game next week&quot; he told them, &quot;let's see if we can score some goals this time.&quot;<BR>
        He walked over to the netball court, which took him past the place where Cecilia lay. To his astonishment, he found a girl bound and gagged lying in the ruins of an ancient sacristy.<BR>
        &quot;What on Earth?&quot; he unbound her, &quot;Cecilia, what happened?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Oh Father Abbot&quot;, said Cecilia, &quot;I was attacked&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Attacked?&quot; said Father Abbot.<BR>
        &quot;Yes Sir, someone came up behind me, said, 'I'll get you back' and pushed me to the ground. Then they put the blindfold on and bound me. Hurt me, as well. I'm feeling really ill, Father Abbot.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Do you have any idea who it might be?&quot;  &quot;I didn't see them&quot; said Cecilia, untruthfully.<BR>
        Father Abbot looked at her quizzically.<BR>
        &ldquo;Well a boy or a girl?&rdquo; he asked.<BR>
        &ldquo;A girl&rdquo; said Cecilia</p>
        
        <p> Father Abbot picked up the jacket lying on the ground. His eye chanced on the label inside. &quot;Abagail Newman&quot;. &quot;Hmm&quot; he thought to himself, but didn't say anything.</p>
        
        <p> After Compline, Father Abbot asked that the person who tied up Cecilia in the ruins please own up. Abagail stared very obviously at Mandy, sitting on her own in a stall some way from the others. The other girls followed suit. Mandy started to feel very self-conscious. Soon all eyes were upon her.  No-one owned up.<BR>
        &quot;Very well&quot; said Father Abbot, &quot;in that case we must take the matter considerably more seriously. The miscreant will be found.&quot;<BR>
        The children returned to the calefactories. Abagail had planned to start a whispering campaign against Mandy, but in the event she didn't have to. Mandy's name was on everyone's lips.<BR>
        &quot;She tied up Cecilia to get her back for sending her to Coventry.&quot;<BR>
        &ldquo;Did you notice that Mandy was late for netball?&rdquo; said short Mary, &ldquo;That must have been when she was attacking Cecilia again.&rdquo;<BR>
        &ldquo;And her sheets have been ripped? She must have planned this out.&rdquo;<BR>
        &ldquo;Someone should go to Fr Abbot. Let's hope she's caught. Then she'll be expelled.&rdquo;<BR>
        &ldquo;If she'd have owned up when Father Abbot asked she might have gotten away with it&rdquo;, said Abagail, &ldquo;but not now. She's left it too late.&rdquo;<BR>
        &ldquo;I don't see what charity girls are doing in this school, anyway,&rdquo; said short Mary, &ldquo;The sooner she goes, the better.&rdquo;<BR>
        To Mandy this was a nightmare. She couldn't endure it any longer. She went to Father Abbot to own up to tying up Cecilia.  Father Abbot sent for Cecilia. Mandy was sat outside the oak panelled door, the picture of misery.<BR>
        &quot;I'll be expelled&quot; she said, &quot;but I don't care any longer. I know how much I am hated.&quot;  Cecilia was suddenly touched with compassion, but she couldn't let it show.<BR>
        &quot;I hate you Mandy, and I'm glad you're going to be expelled.&quot; she said.</p>
        
        <p>Father Abbot called them both in.  &quot;So&quot; he said, &quot;you two again. Is there any end to the grief you will cause me? Now kindly tell me what this is all about?&quot;<BR>
        &quot;Mandy beat me up, and she wasn't punished adequately&quot; said Cecilia, &quot;so the other girls and me sent her to Coventry.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;And what's that got to do with this?&quot; asked Father Abbot.<BR>
        &ldquo;So she's obviously getting back at me in the only way she knows how, physical violence&rdquo;.<BR>
        &quot;Mandy,&quot; said Father Abbot, &quot;I had to let you off too lightly. In between giving you a punishment run and expelling you, there's not much I can do, and expulsion would just make your chaotic life even more chaotic. But the girls themselves have stepped in. Now you must fight to be accepted once again. An apology to Cecilia would be a good starting place.&quot;<BR>
        &quot;I'm not apologising&quot; said Mandy.<BR>
        &quot;Then you'll have to plough your own path, Mandy&quot; said Father Abbot, &quot;Detention for you, for tying up Cecilia.&quot;  Cecilia smiled.<BR>
        &ldquo;And detention for you too Cecilia, for not calling out when you could have got someone to untie you and using it as an excuse to bunk off games.&rdquo;<BR>
        Cecilia's smile dropped.<BR>
        &ldquo;But I was gagged&rdquo;, she protested.<BR>
        &ldquo;Punishment run.&rdquo;, said Father Abbot, &ldquo;Please go Mandy, before I increase yours to a punishment run as well.&rdquo;<BR>
        &ldquo;This is not fair&rdquo; said Cecilia, as Mandy left the door, &ldquo;I was the victim, I was the one who tied up, and you are giving me a worse punishment than her. How was I supposed to call out when I was gagged? I'm leaving this school. You are so unfair. This school is unfair, full of unfair rules and unfair punishment runs, and you've got to admit to things you didn't even do, because otherwise everyone will hate you for it.&rdquo;<BR>
        Father Abbot smiled, and suddenly Cecilia caught herself.  &ldquo;Would you say it's wrong to admit to something you didn't do, Cecilia?&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I notice you didn't say 'Mandy did it' but 'it's obvious that Mandy did it'. And Mandy has admitted it. Now why would she do that if she wasn't the person responsible? Is this another of Mandy's crimes?&rdquo;<BR>
        Cecilia grinned at him mischievously.<BR>
        &quot;As you will,&quot; said Father Abbot, &quot;now we'll see you at dawn tomorrow morning.&quot;</p>
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